looking to get feet wet with a luger

what's something to look for that won't re-mortgage my house.. but give me a neat piece that won't be junk and laughed at.. should hold value if I wish to resell it.. but otherwise be an ok collector piece.

what's something to look for that won't re-mortgage my house.. but give me a neat piece that won't be junk and laughed at.. should hold value if I wish to resell it.. but otherwise be an ok collector piece.

Click to expand...

There is a company with a web site that has some at decent prices down in Texas. I'll look for the link. I would love one myself but I can't afford one. They do have some in the $700 range.

It depends a bit on what you want. If you want a collector grade, all matching (except maybe the magazine) with lots of original finish, count on spending a minimum of $1500-1700. If you just want a Luger to shoot and study, and are not particular about matching parts or a particular date/maker, you can still find them for $900 or so.

I would suggest some books, but in too many cases they are detailed books for collectors and serve only to confuse the novice.

If there is a major gun show in your area, go and look at Lugers. At one show last year, I saw a WWII Luger, all matching but the magazine, on one table for $2000. Yet, three aisles over there was one made by the same maker in the same year, also matching, with almost the same degree of finish, for $800. Further, the "cheap" gun had a matching magazine.

I don't know why the difference; probably a realistic price would have been between the two extremes. Or maybe the second seller just didn't know or care what he had.

The second gun was "dry" with no sign of oil, and looked dull and uninteresting. It wasn't, if one knew what to look for.

If you can get to a show, look at Lugers. Just look. Don't get talked into buying or jump on the first one you see at a low price. Just look and remember (don't take pics without permission, though). If you see something interesting, take the seller's name and ask if you can have the gun shipped to your dealer if you decide you want it. (All original Lugers will be C&R, so if you have a C&R license that will simplify matters.)

An artillery Luger is pretty pricey to "get your feet wet" on. Plus there are an awful lot of fake artillery models out there, some pretty good. (I knew a guy who made quite a few, and also some Luger carbines.)

i'm not likely to get into a art-luger due to price. if I did go for one.. I know who I would go thru.. another olelctor I know.. he moves a few now and then.. he mostly deals in HIGH end stuff. it'd be real if it came thru him.. though no cheaper.

Lugers seem to keep going up in price, even a miss-matched "shooter" is more expensive now than 10 years ago. If you buy one through a knowledgeable friend I don't think you can go wrong with your investment.

As far as shooting a Luger, remember that these pistols are rather complex and old. Parts brake now and then. And your replacement part will not have the same number as the broken part.

The Parabellums are great to look at, handle and show off! They are also good plinkers and fun to shoot. but not so much as a self-defense carry- altho I do know that some guys have carried them for self-defense.
Even the newer, rebuilt German pistols of ww2 used by E Germany or stored in Russia command a fairly high price.
Glad I got my early ww2 piece while the price was still doable. It has
doubled in price and it's too nice to pack and shoot for fear of damaging a collector piece- arrgh. Shoulda bought one of the Russian captures when they were widely available a few years ago.
BIG difference in the work and tuning that went into a Luger as compared to even the 1911- not to mention the Glocks and other modern plastic designs.

There are way more altered Pistolen 08 (Georg Luger 9mm Parabellum pistol-year of adoption by German Army Board) than there are M-1 Garand rifles. The Luger has the cachet look, like the Colt SA Army 1873 wheelgun- But they have a really heavy trigger pull, are not always reliable in function, and were never anywhere near as accurate as other German pistols of that era. Best buy in a German military style pistol- Walther P-38 in 9MM Parabellum. Better balance and function, fewer counterfeits- I would suggest you check out and subscribe to the Jan C. Still Luger Forum website- and ask a lot of questions and hold on to your checkbook--

I picked up a P38 several months ago for 400. Lucky I guess. I have pd as high as 1200 for one. I have found my best bet has been at auctions. I usually end up buying in the 700 to 900 range for the gun . I have bought guns with dates of 1911 thru 1944. All with matching numbers with the exception of the Mag. All of them have been or are excellent shooters. And accurate I might add. Had one break on me and took about 6 weeks at a smith to repair but with a little encouargement, it is now a fine shooter. It is dated 1943. I love em.

I have an East German rework Luger, and I would recommend one of those. The finish is thick, black, and ugly, at least compared to Luger blue, but very durable.

They sell for less than many Lugers because Luger collectors, as a rule, don't like them, but functionality is excellent, and you are not doing any harm to it's value if you shoot it extensively. Mine came with with 2 East German magazines of excellent quality, and a loading tool.

They may have "investmest" potential because they are not overpriced now, and in time (IMHO) East Germany is going to be seen as a short-lived, bizarre place that was the last chapter of the Luger's life as a service weapon. Just my $.02!

PS - I have no idea if my Luger was a real "VOPO" gun, or just something that the People's Republic had in storage from 1945 until the wheels fell off of Communism. I don't care either, because it's a Mauser that seems to be all matching without being restamped, and I only paid $450 + fees for it, about 20 years ago. I think people try to get the price up by calling all of them VOPOs.